Shifting Stances
by kideaxl
Summary: Sora cherished all of his friends, but somehow Kairi held a special place in it. He didn't understand all of the complexities, but he always listened to his heart. Things were changing and he liked it. Drabble series.
1. Beauty

1\. Beauty

Sora leaned over the wooden bearings that faced towards the clear waters. Waves pleasantly swayed to and fro near Destiny Islands. A cool and pleasant wind blew and carried the familiar scent of saltwater. Taking a deep breath, Sora's mind felt clearer.

Sora could admit that he wasn't one of the greatest thinkers, but that didn't bother him much. His heart did a pretty good job of guiding him anyways. When he was happy, he cheered and when he was sad, he would bawl. It made life much more simple and pleasant. Well that was how it typically was. Sora's heart had come to some kind of decision that he couldn't quite understand.

The problem was that for a time, and he didn't know how long, Kairi had taken root in his thoughts. Every one of his friends mattered dearly to him.

Riku was his oldest and best friend. Being as cool and strong as him was a major inspiration for him to continually push his limits. Wakka was one of the most chill guys he knew. There wasn't a sport Wakka wasn't knowledgeable in and he always had the time to just sit down and chat pleasantly. Although he didn't always get what Selphie was on about, most of it was pretty hilarious. That was of course until she got too fed up and kicked him off the miniature port she liked so much. Tidus was his stalwart companion in overthrowing Riku as the coolest kid on the island. Others might have said that the two of them together had more daring than brains, but he was on the up and up.

Yet Kairi was different and it wasn't just because she was the miracle girl that fell from the stars onto the island years ago. He, Riku, and her were a trio of close friends, but she felt less and less like a friend to him. It wasn't as if he cared for her less. The feelings were just different. The change had crept on him. Now he couldn't even put a finger on the change. Sora's heart was urging him to push for this change and through all the confusion he absolutely adored it.

Before all of whatever this was, him and Kairi being alone was nothing special and even a bit of a bummer. If it was just the two of them, it meant that Riku was a no show to the island. But now it wasn't so bad. So what if they couldn't do the typical racing and training? Sora shook his head, what a mysterious feeling this all was.

When Sora suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, he proceeded to flinch then fall to the ground. Looking up he realized that it was Kairi of all people, "Hey! You're going to give me a heart attack one day with all your sneaking!"

She shrugged unbothered as her violet eyes lit up in mirth and her dark red hair that often reminded him of the sunset swayed as she fell into a giggle fit. Even at his expense, the sound gave him a rather light and subtle pleasant hum through his heart. He couldn't help but join in the laughter.

There it was again. Laughing together seemed like the most impressive thing ever. Moments like this really drove home that Kairi was a girl and really… cool? That wasn't quite right; she looked good maybe even better than good if that at all made any sense.

Kairi finally collected herself and wiped the tears from her eyes. "So? What were you thinking about? I could hear your mind spinning from the beach."

Sora flashed a bright smile her way, "I was thinking how grateful and lucky I am to have such great friends. I hope these good times never end."

Kairi's smile became a soft and warm thing as she looked in him directly in the eyes, "I get it. You know you're a pretty good friend yourself. It's something I hope never changes." She offered him her hand and helped to pull him up.

"Thanks. So… where's Riku? Is he coming later?" Sora peered at the horizon in an effort to catch sight of Riku rowing to the shore.

Kairi shook her head, "Sorry but Riku's grounded. His parents were pretty peeved about the scaffold dare."

Sora whistled, "That sucks."

"Why does it sound like you're disappointed that you weren't in on it?" she scolded in a light tone.

"Of course not! I mean sure Tidus and Riku were pulling awesome stunts and all, but the trouble isn't worth it," he replied in a panic.

Kairi rolled her eyes, "Right~. Well, it's just the two of us today. You have anything in mind?"

Sora chuckled as another pleasant hum traveled through him, "You can pick."

He could figure out his heart some other time, it wasn't going anywhere.


	2. Love

2\. Love

Sora and his family had just finished their dinner and he found himself caught in his recent pastime of figuring out the change in his heart in regards to Kairi. To free up his mind, he chose to keep his hands busy.

With that in mind, Sora sat at his dining table facing away from his mom as she washed some of the dirty dishes. He was rather preoccupied with a couple of seashells he had collected with Kairi earlier today. There were just times when she was real into arts and crafts. It was a nice change of pace.

He rolled one of the pieces Kairi had allowed him to keep. The more he rolled it, the more he seemed entranced and lost in his own mind. It wasn't long before he began to tap his forehead in confusion. After a moment, his eyes widened and he snapped his finger.

"I got it!" he said as slammed the table and his eyes zeroed in on his mom.

"Got what?" his mom was mildly curious. Her son had a rather amusing habit in finding himself in all sorts of situations. Then there was the rather introspective mood he seemed to be in as of late.

He smiled in pride, "Mom, you know plenty of things. I can't believe I didn't think about this sooner!"

She laughed in appreciation to the sincere praise, "Well your mom has been around the block a few times. If you think I can help, who am I to refuse?"

"Thanks mom. I'm sure you'll be a big help. Unlike me, you're pretty darn smart," he admitted with ease.

She paused her washing to shoot him a scolding look, "Don't say things like that. You aren't dumb by any means. It's just your mind focuses on different things and don't let yourself or anyone tell you different. Understand?"

"Got it," he said with a thumbs up. Stepping away from the table, he joined his mom and began drying and putting away the washed dishes. "Now I got this situation going on with Kairi. She's been a good friend of mine since forever. But, things are getting weird, at least for me. Now at first I thought she was taking Riku's spot as my best friend but that's definitely not it. It's like if awesomeness was a road, then Kairi has hopped off the road and gone across the street. She's still awesome but pretty different, a kind of different I really really like. It always gets really nice and tingly around her now. Am I making sense?"

He noticed that his mom had a weird smile like she was in on some big joke and she didn't want to give it away. It was kind of freaky to see that look on his mom of all people.

"That's a very apt description, Sora. So how long has this been happening?"

Sora placed a bowl in the cabinet before tapping his chin, "A couple years, I guess."

His mom's smile grew even wider, "Well, I think you're just growing up. It sounds to me that you're interested in Kairi as a potential special someone. In other words, Kairi has your romantic interest. You are just so adorable."

Hearing this explanation, he rolled the idea in his mind a bit, "I think you're right, Mom! Boy am I glad I got these feelings figured out. I thought I was going to have to ask Riku or even Kairi herself if she doing this on purpose. Do you know how crazy I was getting? I mean the warm and fuzzy feeling is nice and everything, but the mystery of it all was so annoying. You know what I mean?"

She laughed in agreement, "Yeah, the whole process can get pretty annoying. Puberty can suck. I know I hated it when I was your age."

Sora shook his head and waved her off, "Come on, Mom. How complicated can this be? You just told me everything I needed to know. See? Easy."

His mom finished washing the last dish and wiped her hands on her apron before pinching his cheek, "Something tells me you're going to find out how perplexing it can be."

"Geez, you're just messing with me," he said as he stepped away from her and rubbed his aching cheek. Now that he could put a name to the feeling it all made so much sense. Apparently, he had a crush on his friend Kairi. The excitement and cheer in his heart proved that he was right.

Smacking his fist against his palm, he wore a broad smile, "Thanks for all the help, Mom. I know what I have to do." In the next second, he blitzed right out the house.

His mom shook her head from side to side, "Three… two… one."

Sora returned to the house with a nervous expression, "I guess it's pretty late and it would be weird going to her house in pajamas. There's always tomorrow."

She patted him on the back in encouragement, "I think that would be for the best."

Mother and son shared a hardy laugh.


	3. Hope

3\. Hope

Sora leapt over the fence that surrounded Riku's house. Riku was still grounded and it was for the best that his parents didn't catch them meeting up. Making sure to avoid the front windows, he craned his neck upwards to see Riku's window on the second floor. Rolling up his sleeves, he ran up the vertical surface past Riku's window and unto the roof.

He had to hold down a cheer from his climb lest he get in trouble anyway. Knocking the window, he tried to catch his breath. Riku opened the window a few seconds later.

"What are you even doing on my roof?" Riku's voice was filled to the brim in exasperation. He reached out to Sora to help him sneak into his room.

Riku's room was like the office of an exploration team. All manner of Atlas' and maps riddled his room from top to bottom. There were even astronomical charts piled up on the desk. If Riku didn't become some kind of explorer when he grew up, then Sora would eat his shoes and gloves.

"I need your help with something, besides you could use the company," he teased.

"How gracious of you," Riku snorted and gestured for him to explain himself.

"Well you can grace me with your wisdom," Sora shot back. "So I've been feeling differently about Kairi for some strange reason. After talking with Mom, I found out that I have feelings for Kairi. Looking back, it was so obvious. I can't believe I thought she was replacing you as my best friend."

"Gee, thanks. I can just feel the love and appreciation," Riku snarked back.

"I said I was wrong. Don't focus on the small stuff. I need your advice on telling her how I feel. According to Mom, this is supposed to be complicated. I want this to be as smooth as possible. At the very least I don't want to upset Kairi."

Riku actually whistled, "Well look at you being all considerate. What gave you the bright idea to come to me? We don't really talk love. This is kind of Selphie's thing." He paused in thought and shivered.

Sora shrugged, "You're my best friend. If I can't ask you who else can I? It'll be pretty weird to ask Kairi and besides you're older. Who knows what you know?"

Riku cracked a smile at the so Sora reply. He crossed the room and dug into the cabinet connected to the desk in the corner of the room. In his hands was an overstuffed bag of flowers of all sorts of shapes and sizes. Dumping the contents of the bag on the desk, he said, "Pick a few of these and give it to Kairi when you have your big moment. Girls love junk like that."

"Whoa," Sora gaped with wide eyes, "Where did you get all these flowers from?"

Riku snorted, "Apparently, I'm pretty popular with my school mates. They got it into their heads that I'd be flattered with a shower of flowers. I don't even know what flowers came from what girl. It's getting a little ridiculous. I was going to dump them, so take any you want."

Sora bubbled with excitement and snatched up the flowers that caught his eyes. He took some billowy white ones, a few wide petal yellows ones, and a pink cluster of flowers.

"Carnations, tick seeds, and myrtles, eh?" Riku eyed critically. Before he could elaborate, his ears caught something so he hissed instead, "I think I hear footsteps. Get your butt out of here before you're grounded too."

"Got it," Sora didn't waste a moment in jumping out the windows, smoothly rolling, and hopping over the fence, all without damaging the flowers.

He didn't spare Riku a glance since he was now a man on a mission. If his memory served him right, Kairi would be going to her own boat to leave the main island. That was perfect. Following the path that would lead to the pier, he actually caught sight of Kairi not too long later.

Kairi was talking to Selphie as they walked at a sedate pace. Sora sped up and cut in between them, "Sorry! I need to borrow Kairi! See you later!" To the girls' continued surprise, he held Kairi's wrist and ran off.

When Selphie saw the flowers he held away from Kairi's sight, she giggled manically. Sora felt a shiver run down his spine. He wasn't going to think about that.

Kairi struggled with keeping up with his fervent pace. She swore to herself that she would take her races with the boys much more serious in the future, "Slow down! I'm going to fall over!"

He slid to a stop and flashed an apologetic smile, "Sorry about that. I just wanted to do this as soon as possible."

The two were near the massive cluster of rocks that waves would periodically crash against.

Sora revealed the self made bouquet, "Here, these are for you."

She blinked in surprise as she took the flowers, "Why thank you. These are beautiful. What is the occasion?" Despite her confusion, a smile worked its way to her lips. It was rather thoughtful, if not unexpected, gesture.

Sora took a deep breath and looked Kairi straight in the eyes, "I care about you a lot, Kairi. And my heart tells me that these feelings are more than those of friendship. I'm not really sure all the steps I'm supposed to take or if you even feel the same, but I wanted to let you know that I really like you. So would you like to hang out more, just the two of us?" He smiled with a hopeful look.

Kairi's expression had shifted from confusion to embarrassment and now warmth. Turning away she nervously played with her hair before making a concentrated effort to look him in the eyes again, "I don't know what to say, Sora. I'm really flattered by all of this." Her smile grew shy while her words turned softer, "So yes, I would like for the two of us to spend more time together."

An explosion of warmth encompassed Sora as he clinched his fist in victory and shouted to the sky, "Yes!"

She blinked from his reaction before falling into a small giggling fit, "You're such a dork."

He shrugged, all smiles, "I'll take it."


	4. Haunted

4\. Haunted

There stood a lonely mansion near the western coast of Destiny Islands with only the withered trees as company. It was a location that the island's children were always told to stay far away from. No one quite remembered who once resided in the house.

Some said it was a monster and others would've sworn it was a mad scientist. To the children it was a place of untold horrors used as a staple setting to any campfire story.

Kairi especially disliked the place. There was a wrongness she could feel in her bones ever since she saw it as a young child. Despite all of this, there was an inherent draw for her to come here. Looking at the mansion always brought flashes to her mind about her time before landing on the islands. As much as she loved her current family and community, she ached to know more about the life she had before she had fallen to Destiny Islands.

The pull of the place had finally become too much and she resolved to explore the abandoned mansion. For the sake of moral support, she had taken Sora along.

Despite the importance of this task, she felt rather disappointed with herself that this would be their first outing alone since his confession. It wasn't as though this was a sudden decision; she had longed to come here. It just so happen that Sora had expressed her feelings during this time. Kairi would definitely make this up to him later. She shifted her eyes to her companion.

Sora was swiping the wooden sword he often practiced and sparred with. She found the item unnecessary, but Sora would be Sora she supposed. "Why are we here without Riku? He's not grounded anymore," he asked.

Her eyes sank to the ground. Seems like it was too much to hope he wouldn't question her decision. It brought a tinge of guilt that she was having trouble shaking off, "I didn't want to bring him." Kairi hadn't intended for her voice to come out so timid. There was nothing for her to feel sorry about, "Ever since we agreed to the raft idea, he's gotten too… intense for my taste. It's a little scary."

Sora's whimsical smile turned contemplative. He laid an appreciated and comforting hand on her shoulder and assured, "I don't know what's going through your mind, but you can trust Riku. He can get pretty out there about traveling to new worlds, but it's his dream. I don't think he's trying to be scary, just passionate."

A sigh escaped her lips, "I'll try to. Let's go in for now." She pushed open the door that had been loosened by the other children years ago now.

Inside was just as unappealing, if not more so, than outside. A thick layer of dust obscured so much of the inside that she wanted to step right back out. Stale air that carried the scent of rotten wood made her eyes water and she struggled to get used to it. Yet beyond the disgust was a growing terror that was gripping her heart causing her to shiver rather visibly.

"Are you alright? We can go back if you want. It doesn't look that interesting," Sora suggested.

She wore a smile with confidence she lacked," I still want to check the place out."

He actually frowned and really looked at her before puffing out his chest, "Then don't worry. I'll protect you no matter what."

"How sweet, you're my personal knight," she played along as her mood improved. Seeing nothing interesting on the lower level, she eyed the old staircase. Taking a deep breath, she began her ascension with Sora following close behind. Kairi already felt the terror returning with every creaking step. It was like her heart was screaming for her to leave, but she knew that this place had to have an answer of some kind for her. No one had seen any form of activity in this place for years and any creature would surely have perished by now. There was nothing to be afraid of, yet her heart did not settle.

On the second floor there were rows of doors in a hallway. These doors were in pristine condition in stark comparison to the rest of the estate. There weren't even any dust. Her breath hiked. Could there be someone here keeping the doors clean?

Controlling her anxiety, she attempted to open every door, but they were firmly locked, Even with Sora's help they couldn't make a single one budge. The final door in the hallway had a heart symbol etched onto it and just like the rest it wouldn't budge. Growling in frustration, she kicked the door, "These doors got to be ancient. They shouldn't be this hard to open."

She leaned onto the door while releasing a sigh of defeat. A light momentarily blinded the two and then she promptly stumbled in. Somehow the door had opened while they were distracted.

"Whoa," she heard Sora say and she could agree with his amazement.

The room was like a mixture of a lab and an armory. Armors of all sorts stood at attention into two long parallel lines. The walls were littered with diagrams and charts depicting hearts of all things. Ornate tables were pushed together with more diagrams stack haphazardly. Throughout the room were pedestals with glass beakers filled with a tar like substances that she could swear were moving.

Worst of all, the terror had redoubled. All of her breath was knocked out of her like she was submerged in thick sludge. Now her vision was going and she couldn't stay steady. When she finally fell, she knocked over one of the beakers.

Instead of slime falling out or some chemical gas being released, a short armored covered imp like creature burst out. Kairi could hardly force herself up to observe the creature. It felt as through her very heart was rebelling against her. All she noticed was that it too had a heart emblem like the door. Her eyes now flashed to some deeply buried memories. All around her people were screaming as shadows came to life and attacked. Kairi could only shut her eyes, curl up and block out the screams.

Sora jumped into action. He wildly whacked his wooden sword at the creature. To his dismay, it had no affect on it. Instead, the creature tossed him aside into one of the armors causing a loud enough ruckus to make Kairi at least aware enough to crack her eyes open.

She wanted to scream for him to run but she was too paralyzed and dazed to utter a word.

The creature turned towards her and rose its claw to strike her down, but Sora got in front of her and blocked it with the shield he took from the armor, "Back off! I'm not going to let some sorry excuse of a monster hurt Kairi. You hear me! I'll protect her with all of my heart."

A bright light engulfed the room. When it dimmed, the shield was gone and in its place was a sword with a key in place of a blade. Kairi felt immediate relief and hope at the sight of it, despite seeing it for the first time.

"Keyblade," she whispered to her surprise.

Sora heard her, "Alright Keyblade, help me out." He screamed and put all of his force into a slash that reduced the creature to ashes. A lone heart fluttered and faded away.

Once he was sure no other creature was hiding, Sora rushed to help her to her feet. She leaned on him for support lest she fall again.

"Let's get out of here. I think this place really is haunted like everyone says."

Before he guided her out of the room she cried, "Wait! Let me get something." With his help she got a single item she had noticed before the whole battle. It was a journal of some sort. She had no desire to further explore the mansion, but perhaps the notebook would have information that would jog her memories.

Once she had picked up the journal, they made their way outside and slammed the front door shut.

"And to think I wanted to come here alone," she said in a tired voice.

Sora looked alarmed, "Alone!? That's it. You're not allowed to go on any more dangerous quests without me."

Kairi couldn't look him in the eye, "I promise I won't. I was stupid to think I could go alone. When that thing attacked I completely froze and became dead weight. The fear gripped me completely."

"It's fine to be afraid," he assured with a gentle maturity, "To tell you the truth I was afraid even after I said I would protect you and you called me your knight. You probably didn't see it, but I was shaking in my boots. I have never seen a real life monster before. All I knew, deep in my heart, was that if something happened to you I would never forgive myself. That pushed me to be brave. If I could do it I know you can too. Next time you'll definitely be able to conquer your fear and show them who the boss is."

It was both amazing and humbling that he could have such faith in her after her abysmal showing earlier. She vowed to do better in the future in appreciation to his belief.

Apparently her resolve had been visible for he smiled in good cheer, "Come on, I'll walk you home."

Being walked home was a nice end to a rather trying day.


	5. Memory

5\. Memory

Kairi discreetly rolled her eyes when she caught sight of Sora slouching face first into her table in the middle of her room. Tutoring Sora was an uphill battle simply due to his general disinterest in academics. He would rather be running outside then being cramped inside doing homework.

She knew this because he took almost every opportunity to lament his position. If it wasn't so cute she would've been fairly annoyed. At the end of the day Sora would be Sora no matter what she did. And she really appreciated that.

Still she did agree to help him, "Get up Sora. The homework isn't going to complete itself. You know if you don't do better your mom is going to be disappointed that you didn't put your best effort."

The grimace that overtook his features made her want to break out in laughter. Sora's expressions could be so amusing at times. Fortunately, he stopped with the face and went back to his homework.

While he was still his amusing self, having him in her room felt weird now. Sora and Riku had been in her room plenty of times before and after the confession, but the weirdness occurred when Sora was the only guest. She took it as a personal blessing that he took things in a lot more stride. His calmness eased her slight nerves greatly.

Unfortunately, she couldn't say the same thing about her other close friend Riku. Just like right now, he had been obsessing over the raft that they had playfully agreed to make. Things between him and her were getting… tense. It was never more blatant then when he began questioning her about life in her old world. There was a deep seated longing as he shot out question after question at her. Worst of all, he was sharp. Some way or another he began believing she now knew more than she let on.

She didn't think for a moment that Sora had broken her trust, at least intentionally. It could not be stressed enough how sharp Riku was. He could run mental circles around Sora on his worst days. If it all was going to be out in the open, she wanted to be the one who made the decision.

"I never really thanked you for that day at the mansion," she began. When she saw that he was giving her his full attention, she continued. "Looking back, I nearly got us killed and I didn't even explain everything."

Sora blinked in surprise, "You're welcome, but you don't have to explain. It was important to you right? I was glad I could help you."

Warmth encompassed her heart from his words alone. This was why she had so much faith in him even after all these years. She felt reassured of her decision, "I know, but I want you to know. It's important and I hope you can keep it between us."

She shifted her body so she could reach behind her in the space beneath her bed. Feeling the now familiar texture, she pulled out the journal and placed it on the table, "For the longest time, I couldn't remember my time before the islands, but the mansion was familiar. It was familiar in a terrible kind of way. I hated the place even when we were little, Sora. But, I couldn't stand not knowing anymore. I prayed that the mansion had some link to get me to remember anything. I got what I wanted."

"That's great," Sora said. His excitement dimmed when he realized that she didn't share his enthusiasm.

"The journal is from a man named Xehanort. He was a man obsessed with the mysteries hidden in light and darkness. That creature you defeated was a heartless, a being born from a person's heart succumbing to darkness. Reading the book was nerve wracking. It was like I was listening to the thoughts of deranged man. Then, it started to come back to me."

Her words became slurred as sorrow overcame her. She made futile attempts to stop the tears that stung her eyes and stained her cheeks. All she could do was stop herself was breaking down, she bared it all to Sora, "I remember my old home. It was so beautiful. Trees ran straight through the towns and there were fountains with the most beautiful architecture. You would've loved it, everyone would've.

But we can't go there anymore, Sora. It's all gone. One day darkness appeared out of nowhere and consumed everything. So many people were consumed by the shadows. I don't know how I escaped, but the last thing I saw was my grandma being overrun by those disgusting monsters! I couldn't do anything about it.

My home is gone, Sora. Out of everyone there, why did I make it out? Why couldn't I save one person?"

Kairi could not longer fight it and broke into a sob. She didn't know when it happened, but Sora had moved to her side. The next thing she knew she was pulled into his warm embrace. Gentle hands rubbed her back in soothing circles as he whispered, "It's alright, Kairi You're safe now. I can't even begin to imagine how hurt or miserable you feel from your memories, but we'll pull through this, I know it. You have a new home, friends, and family. They can support you. I can support you. And don't you think you owe it to your world and your loved ones to live a happy life?"

Kairi continued to sob into Sora's arms for a long while. Fortunately, Sora had all the time in the world.


	6. Fragile

6\. Fragile

Kairi finally came to a stop. The sheer extent of her exhaustion and sweatiness shocked even her. The tracksuit she was wearing stuck so uncomfortably to her skin that she feared taking them off would leave behind welts. Sweat dripped down her brows into her eyes stinging them while her lungs felt like they were on fire. Even breathing stung at her throat and her legs felt as unstable as a newborn deer. It was almost amazing how out of shape she was.

Still, she wanted and needed this. Never again would she be so utterly helpless if she had a say in it. Though, she was getting the feeling that it would be a good while before she caught up to the boys' athleticism. Sora and Riku had been at this for years. All that time of going at 'her own pace' was really biting her in the butt now.

"Oi, heads up," said Riku.

Kairi caught a bottle of water. She blinked when she realized that she hadn't noticed Riku's appearance. How long had he been there? Despite her questions, she opened the bottle and took a sip. Water never tasted so cool and sweet.

Her drinking brought a smirk to Riku's lips, "What's with the exercise crunch all of a sudden? I thought you'd be too busy being all lovey dovey with Sora."

She blushed against her will. It was still embarrassing for others to bring attention to her relationship with Sora. Sora was her first boyfriend and she didn't want to feel like she was putting on a show for the others.

"Well when you get a girlfriend, I'll take note of your opinion. As a matter of fact, I know some girls that would gladly go out with you. Would you like that? We could even double date," she replied.

"Alright, alright, you win. There's no need to use the death penalty. Man love can sure make a girl crabby. Still what's up with the workout?"

"… I need to stay in shape for Sora!" Immediately, she cringed from the lame and embarrassing excuse. That sounded pretty desperate to her. It was still better then admitting her real reasoning to him. There was still discomfort in discussing other worlds with Riku.

Even though his lips were snickering from her response, his eyes were very suspicious. "You've been pretty dodgy lately, you know?" Riku stepped closer and looked her directly in the eyes, "Do you not want a part of the raft? There are so many worlds for us to see and explore. There is so much more than this dingy little island. We could even find your original world. Why aren't you more into this? "

Kairi's mind returned to the fall of her own world, specifically the last she saw of her grandmother. She made sure to look away before the hurt could flash in her eyes. Sometimes she couldn't understand his problem with such a safe and wonderful island like Destiny Islands.

"Hey guys!" A boisterous voice called out.

Kairi and Riku turned to the voice to see Sora running his way towards them. He had a bright smile and was wildly waving his hands at them.

Both of them broke into a smile.

Kairi felt so utterly relieved by his entrance. Thankfully, Sora didn't seem to notice the rising tension and fraying friendship between her and Riku. When he was in the picture, they felt like an inseparable trio again. Kairi would relax and Riku would instantly lighten up.

Sora slid to a stop when he reached them, "Are you guys excited about building the raft? I can't wait. I wish classes would end already, and then we would have all the time in the world to build the raft and collect rations."

"Well if you don't stop being a scatterbrain, the teachers might just keep you in summer school. Then we'd have to go exploring without you," Riku threatened.

This caused Sora to gasp in fear, "That's isn't funny. I'd die of boredom. You guys wouldn't really leave me behind, right?" His fear skyrocketed when they looked away and whistled, "Come on Kairi, you have my back right? I won't survive without you tutoring!"

When Sora stepped towards her to beg for some more tutoring, she took a quick step backward.

"What's wrong, Kairi?"

Her mind raced for an excuse to appease him. She knew it was a wasted effort when she heard Riku's knowing laughter.

Riku put his arm around Sora's shoulder, "Girls are delicate creatures you see? Kairi here doesn't want her little honey bunches, that would be you by the way, to know that she has the funk."

Kairi face grew incredibly red from both embarrassment and rage, "RIKU!"

"Whoops, I've got to run. I think your girlfriend wants to kill me," Riku said at ease before dashing away from Kairi.

She was right on his heels, her exhaustion completely forgotten. Kairi even began to scoop handfuls of sand and throw them at Riku.

"Hey, knock that off!" he yelled.

"You're the worst!" she yelled back.

"Kairi is sure getting faster," he said with a whistle. He snapped his fingers and began to follow the pair, "Wait up guys! You two need to help me with school!"


	7. Celebration

7 .Celebration

Sora jostled a box in his arms as he waited for Kairi to finish up whatever it was she was doing. He spent his time attempting to figure out what was in the box she had him holding. He couldn't make heads or tails of the contents through his light shaking but didn't let it bother him. Kairi was sure to tell him eventually.

"Thanks for waiting," Kairi said as she stepped out of her house, flashing a smile. She had gone back to her house to wear a rather large coat over her clothing.

Now that Kairi was there, she directed him to follow as they made their way to some location.

"Thanks for carrying all of that for me. It isn't too heavy, is it?" Kairi asked with some concern.

Sora smiled at her in reassurance, "I'm fine, besides I kind of like you relying on me. It makes me feel like you trust me."

"Don't tempt me or I'll make you my personal servant."

The couple shared a smile, though Kairi's laughter was mixed with other emotions.

"Are you alright?"

Kairi wore a wistful expression as her smile waned, "I guess I really shouldn't be surprised that you were able to pick up on that. Don't worry; I'm just thinking about things from long ago. Look we're here."

As she pointed out, they had reached the shore of the island with the waves drifting back and forth on the sands. Kairi had him put down the box and began pulling items from it. She began to put the items together and they formed some kind of moderately made altar with star figurines layered on top of it. She made little adjustments here and there until she was satisfied.

"Take a seat," she instructed before walking closer to the ocean until her feet were submerged. Kairi fidgeted for a moment before unzipping her jacket and tossing it to the sands.

Sora saw her outfit for the first time. It was a long pleated flower patterned skirt that reached her shins. White sash like wraps covered a black shirt with detached pink and white sleeves gripping her upper arm. Her ensemble was completed by an elaborate flower patterned yellow slash that wrapped around her midsection. Kairi never looked so amazing.

"Sora?" she called out to him.

He shook himself out of his stupor, "Sorry. Did you say something?"

She pointed at the box and he saw that there was a decorated rod inside. He tossed it to her and she caught it with practiced ease. Kairi gave it a few trials spins and without further explanation began to dance.

And what a dance it was. Sora hadn't been aware that Kairi could be so graceful. Every spin captured his attention and refused to let go. The dance was hauntingly slow and painfully beautiful. Sways, spins, and twists radiated an ache into the very depths of his heart. As the dance progressed, his eyes grew wide and full with tears. Clutching his heart, he marveled the dance in its entirety. Even the waves seemed to follow her lead and meld into her flowing movements.

Before he knew it, the beautiful dance came to a waning stop.

"How was it?" Kairi asked.

He didn't immediately answer. The dance ran over and over in his mind. Slowly, he wiped the tears running down his cheeks, "It was beautiful but so sad. What was that?"

Kairi took a seat beside him and hugged her knees as she looked at the crashing waves, "In my old world we had an annual festival: The Celebration of the Stars. We believed that each of the stars in sky was a world of its own. The dance was both a prayer that those stars would never be consumed by the darkness of the night and a requiem for the stars already lost and forgotten. I remember loving the dance so much. I was training to finally do the dance myself at the celebration. I never got that chance so I wanted to try it today. There's so many part of the dance I've forgotten though. If you had gone to one of the celebrations, you would've seen some real dancing. I guess you have to make do with my shoddy recreation."

"You're wrong," he denied, "Your dancing was amazing. It was so powerful and emotional. You would've done great when it was your turn to dance at the real celebration. I bet everyone would've cheered for you."

Her laugh was a small thing tinged with a painful nostalgia, "Thank you. I just wanted to share this with you."

Sora pulled her into a one arm hug and rested his chin on top of her head, "It means a lot to me that you shared this part of your past with me. I will etch this beautiful dance into my heart and think of it whenever I think of you. I promise. But, it's getting late. We should be heading back or your dad might kill me."

Kairi's cheeks were warm but she had an expression of contentment. Collecting herself, she nodded her head and picked up her coat from the sand.

Sora broke down the star display and returned them to the box. When he was finished, he easily carried the box with a single arm.

Seeing an opportunity, she tentatively held his hand in hers. In turn, he smiled encouragingly at her and gave her hand a light squeeze. A blissful smile formed on her lips and they walked at a sedate pace to her home.


	8. Secret

8\. Secret

Kairi mentally pumped herself up. Today was finally the day. It would be her very first date with her first boyfriend. Sure they had already gone on outings together but an official date was still special!

She had made sure to dress for the occasion. It had been rather tiring to pick just the right outfit. Kairi had settled on a white blouse with some flower accents alongside a dark skirt. Even more trying than picking the outfit was keeping this private. Today was not a day she wanted to deal with teasing from any of her friends. It was going to a day for just her and sora.

When she left her house, she was surprised to see Sora already waiting by the front gates. Nevertheless she picked up the pace and greeted him.

"Hello, Sora. It's great to see you," she said with a warm smile.

Sora smiled that dazzling smile of his as he let out an impressed whistle. He didn't actually say anything but just kind of stared at her.

She felt a rush of shyness and brushed her fingers through her hair, "Something wrong? You look… distracted."

He blinked and appeared a bit sheepish, "Sorry about that. You're just especially cute today. It's amazing. I never knew dates could do that to girls. We have to go on a bunch more dates now. "

Despite being the reaction she was aiming for, she couldn't help the thrill of pleasure surging through her. "Let's deal with this date before we worry about future ones, but thanks for the compliment."

Sora gave off a laugh before making way for her so they could begin walking. Their destination was a park that wasn't all that popular with the younger crowds mainly due to the lack of sources of entertainment, but it was a rather beautiful one.

Rows of flowers lines the paths with glistening stone pathways. There were ample trees that offered shade over benches that could comfortable seat two. Kairi had never actually walked through the area since it was a distance away and it was easier to just go the islands. It was a decision that she appreciated now since it made the trip a nicer surprise.

Each of the little sights there was enjoyable to take in, especially the clear pond that contained all sorts of tropical looking fishes. The day was turning out to be as wonderful as she had hoped.

"Are you having a good time?" Sora asked nervously.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" she responded with a reassuring smile.

The amount of utter relief on his face was amusing to say the least. Sora was just as anxious for this first data as she was, that was good to know. She didn't want to be the only one out of her depths.

"That's good. I was a little worried. I wasn't sure if a walk was good enough. I wanted our first official date to be something nice. A bunch of stuff Riku told me cost a lot more Munny than I could save in short time," he admitted.

She snorted and playfully swatted his arm, "Don't let Riku scare you. You don't have to impress me with a bunch of spectacles. This is nice. "

Kairi offered her hand invitingly. Sora easily slipped his hand in hers. His touch was a mix of gentle and warm just like the boy himself. It was still a thrill to just hold his hand whenever she wanted. Holding hands was such a silly gesture to get worked up on but she couldn't help the giddiness that happened whenever he took up her offer to hold hands. Hopefully he didn't think this was _too_ girly. Sora never seemed to mind and even looked like he appreciated it as much as she did. When she caught his eyes, his smile grew warmer and cuter too.

It was like she was seeing him in his most free and natural state. Bright blue eyes radiated a level of affection that made her cheeks warm and caused her to shyly look away. Kairi had to get over that since she rather liked the way his eyes looked at her these days.

Now that she was looking away she noticed a path that was more dirt than stone that lead through a collection of trees away from the main paths. She tugged Sora's hand and pointed at the discovered path, "Let's go that way."

Sora easily followed her lead as they traversed the path. The plant life was much freer than the main path. It didn't appear that this place faced much if any traffic. All of this felt like a miniature adventure.

"Where do you think this leads?" Sora asked in a curious tone.

She shrugged, "Don't know. Let's find out. Wait, do you hear that?"

Sora hummed in concentration and snapped his fingers, "It sounds like running water. Do you think it's the ocean?"

"We haven't traveled that far and we're pretty far from the coast."

With a few more minutes of travel, they exited the nearly forest like path. It all led to a small waterfall that hid a cove. The waters nearly sparkled in a rainbow hue from the sunlight. Kairi marveled at the sight of it all.

Blue flowers of all shades bloomed on the ground just before the rushing waters fell on stone and she was hesitant to walk closer lest she destroyed the beauty of it all.

While she marveled at the sight, she felt Sora release her hand. Confused she turned to see him making some wayward calculations in his mind as he eyed the flowers and her. Finally, his expression settled to a confident one.

She didn't care for that look, "What's on your min… "Her words were cut off as Sora swept her up in his arms and backed up a few paces before running right at the flowers. Before his feet brushed against the nearest gathering of the flora, he leapt across them and planted his feet just in front of the rocks that led up to the miniature waterfall.

When she was let down, it took a moment for her legs to steady as she leaned on Sora for support before huffing, "Some warning would be nice, you big lug."

"Sorry. I'll keep it in mind for next time," he placated.

Kairi worked to keep down the flush before muttering, "Don't just assume there's going to be a next time."

"I'm going to check the place out. I think I see a chest in the back."

Kairi followed his finger and saw a rather nice looking locked chest just submerged in the water. The moss over it showed just how long it had been there. Without a further word, he dashed through the running waters. She just barely avoided the water flying her way. She had no intention in getting this outfit wet.

Looking in the cove, she could just make out Sora leaping off the various sharp stalagmites that were bundled together. When he reached the back, he began pulling at the chest. Kairi enjoyed the various attempts he made in getting the thing open. He even kicked the thing in annoyance.

Kairi cupped her hands around her mouth and suggested, "Use your Keyblade! Opening locks is kind of its thing."

She chuckled as she saw him smack his forehead. Sora summoned his Keyblade and tapped the blade on the chest and it opened. Taking the contents, he returned to her side.

"You won't believe what I found," he said in awe and opened his hand.

She followed in his awe. It was a golden ring with a diamond of all things right in the middle! The diamond was surrounded by detailed gryphon like creatures. This was the kind of the treasure they hunted for hours as children.

"That's amazing Sora. Who knows how much this costs. You can sell it for a nice amount of Munny," she suggested.

Sora hummed in contemplation before he shook his head, "That's a waste. I want you to have this, Kairi."

She blinked in surprise before shaking her head, "Sora, I can't. This is too valuable. I couldn't even begin to explain this to my parents."

Sora took her right hand and slid the ring on her ring finger, "Then let's keep it our little secret. I want this to mark our first date together. It didn't cost me anything but time. Please accept this."

Kairi say his blue eyes pleading with her and she couldn't help but cave, "Alright, Sora. Thank you, it's beautiful."

Knowledge of the ring's name entered her mind like a soft whisper: Diamond Armlet. A soft light illuminated the diamond and the eyes of the carved gryphons. What an interesting treasure they had found.


	9. Promise

9\. Promise

Sora slumped miserably on the sandy shore. He was quiet except for his defeated groaning. If the sand decided to swallow him up, he wouldn't have the energy to run. Falling flat on his back, he kicked up his legs. All he could do was release an aggrieved groan for his troubles.

Listlessly watching the tide, he thought about the gulf between him and Riku. He had lost another race to Riku's quick thinking and nimble feet. Shouldn't the Keyblade have made him, he didn't know, magically faster or something? Sometimes it felt like he would never reach Riku's level. It could make a guy feel real crummy.

The familiar crunch of shoes to sand came from behind him. Looking above, he saw the familiar sight of Kairi smiling warmly down on him. It was just a nice look to her that had his heart swooning. Confessing to her had been one of the greatest choices of his admittedly short life. When her eyes lit up and lips spread gently, he could only clench his fist in victory. It was a side of her that he felt was exclusive to him and he wanted to bask in its presence whenever it revealed itself. This was his girlfriend.

"Here," she said. In her hand was a cold can of juice.

He could even see the wisps of cold air seeping off the metal. As he reached to grab it, he slid his hand across her fingers with tender affection. By the looks of her warming cheeks, she was aware of what he was doing but didn't pull away or scold him.

"Thanks," sitting up, he popped the top and slowly gulped the beverage. It chilled his parched throat. Sora sighed loudly in contentment.

"Glad you enjoy it," she said with a giggle. She took a seat near him and gazed into the waters.

"Do you think I'll ever be as good as Riku?" he asked in a near quiet voice. The tenseness of his voice revealed his actual concern.

Kairi frowned, "Why are you two so competitive anyway?" It had always bothered her how her two friends were so serious about this rivalry of theirs. Most times everything was fine but there were intense moments that she felt bordered to hostility. It was alarming to say the least. She could see Riku being like that but Sora was usually so sweet.

Sora huffed in frustration before relaxing, "Before you came along, I used to follow Riku everywhere. There's just something about him that you can't help but admire. He always seemed so sure of himself. Anything he set out to do, he did it. It's inspiring. I guess I wanted to be like that. I thought if I beat him then I would be as cool as him."

Kairi shifted her hand over his and squeezed softly causing his tension to melt away. "I like you the way you are. For what it's worth, I think you're plenty cool." Scooting even closer, she rested her head comfortably on his shoulder.

"R-Really?" he asked with earnest surprise. Cool was an image he attached solely to Riku. The thought that Kairi honestly considered him cool was just so flattering. His very heart seemed to radiate joy causing him to smile widely.

"Never change," she said.

"What?" he questioned in confusion. She sounded a lot more serious than he expected. Looking in her eyes, he could see the pleading in them. It unnerved him just how intense she could be. Then again, a lot of things were being revealed about her life before Destiny Islands. Something like that would make anyone intense.

"I'm serious," she added, "People can easily lose themselves in life. You're the last person I want to see consumed. I just want you to always stay true to yourself."

Sora wrapped his arm around her waist and spoke with a soft soothing suave voice, "I promise to stay true to my heart."

Giggle broke through her lips despite her efforts to do otherwise, "I can't take you seriously with that voice, Sora. Knock it off."

Affection bubbled in his chest hearing her mood lift in a bout of laughter. It was one of the greatest sounds to grace his ears.

"Whatever you say… dearly beloved," his voice gained a noble tone not unlike an old knight.

Her giggling was turning into snorts.

"Why do you guffaw, my lady? Don't think twice of my simple and clean words. I am merely facing my fears to let you know you are my sanctuary," now his words had an air of mock pompous offense.

Sora had to make sure to support her lest she fall into the sand.


	10. Innocence

10\. Innocence

Today's esteemed mission provided by their dear captain Riku was to begin collecting provisions for their raft trip. Was Kairi being fair? Perhaps not, but she really wasn't in the mood to deal with any of this. Riku of all people had the audacity to say that she was just as much a bum as Sora. She couldn't believe the nerve of that guy sometimes.

Luckily she had been able to negotiate for Sora's help today. Hopefully, they could finish in a reasonable time and do something better if they weren't called in for some other chore.

By Sora's suggestion, they chose to go after coconuts first. There was an abundance of coconut trees on the island. Coconuts would provide food and drink so it was a great pick. The trees here were pretty tall though. To avoid damaging the trees too much she had requested Sora to hold her up on his shoulders while she dropped the fruit on the ground.

"I'm not too heavy, am I?" she asked as she stretched for a particularly large coconut.

"I could do this all day," he laughed causing her to jostle just a little bit. Sora didn't seem to mind as she balanced herself using his head.

She hadn't really thought out the mechanics of Sora's help until he had actually lifted her up. Their position was oddly embarrassing. Kairi wasn't quite sure what it was but she'd die of shame if Selphie or Riku were around. The worst part would've been Sora smiling goofily and brushing off the whole thing leaving her the sole recipient of the shame.

Her legs twitched as Sora adjusted his rather firm grip on her thighs. It was a simple touch meant to keep her secure and steady but it just felt so strange. Kairi couldn't put words to the feelings, but she was acutely aware of every spot his hands lingered. Every one of those touches was like a furnace on her skin. Slowly but surely her face grew red.

While she was more than 100 percent sure that he wouldn't do anything questionable, she couldn't relax under his touch. The worst part of it all was the feeling that she wouldn't be too bothered should his hands begin to wander. Did guys like that sort of thing? Were her legs even attractive enough for something like that? Now she sounded like some kind of creepy deviant that couldn't get her mind off lewd thoughts.

She was clearly getting distracted over nothing. What was the big deal with a girlfriend sitting on her boyfriend's shoulder? There weren't doing anything scandalous. It wasn't like he was lovingly caressing her thighs or peppering kisses up her legs until he was dangerously high.

Now her cheeks were absolutely burning with her heart racing like crazy. There was no way that was going to happen. Their relationship was not there yet. She groaned as she mentally emphasized the yet in her last thought. Now she was shifting over from embarrassment to anticipation.

"Is something wrong?" Sora asked breaking through her rather intense thoughts. "Your legs were tensing up. Whoa, your legs are kind of squeezing my head."

Apparently she had been locking her legs around his head for some time. Kairi quickly loosened her grip and he sighed in relief. She never felt more mortified. She rushed to get the job done.


End file.
